Portsmouth MP meets policing minister following Eastney Marina disorder

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has met Policing Minister Sarah Jones to discuss the violent disorder which followed the arrival of a small boat at Eastney Marina earlier this month.

The meeting gave Mr Morgan an opportunity to raise concerns he says he heard first-hand from residents, businesses and neighbourhood police officers following the events of Sunday 6 September.

Police were deployed to Eastney Marina after a small boat crossing the Channel arrived in the Portsmouth area, working alongside Border Force, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the RNLI and Portsmouth City Council.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said a crowd of around 200 people gathered at the marina and eventually dispersed at around 4am the following morning.

Several police, Coastguard and Border Force vehicles were damaged during the disorder. A small number of officers were treated for injuries at the scene, although police said nobody from the emergency services or the public was seriously injured.

Detectives have since been reviewing hundreds of hours of footage from a range of sources as part of the investigation.

A number of people have been arrested and several men have been charged with violent disorder and other alleged offences in connection with events at Eastney.

Following his meeting with the Policing Minister, Mr Morgan said: “The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder.

“That’s why the Constabulary’s actions and ongoing investigation into the violent disorder at Eastney Marina on Sunday 6 September is to be welcomed.

“After seeing the damage done in our community firsthand, I pay tribute to the emergency services who managed the incident, and to all those who continue to take action as lessons are learnt.

“I welcomed the opportunity to discuss with the Policing Minister events at Eastney, support for our community to stay safe, and what the Government is doing on the hard and necessary work of bearing down on small boats crossings.”

The Government has previously said it is examining the circumstances surrounding the Portsmouth incident and considering what lessons can be learned.

Speaking in the House of Commons the day after the disorder, Sarah Jones said officials were also monitoring the changing tactics of people-smuggling gangs, including boats departing from further west along the French coast.

Following her meeting with Mr Morgan, Ms Jones said the Government remained committed to tackling small boat crossings by targeting organised people-smuggling gangs.

She said: “Progress is being made, but we are not complacent. We must and will be unrelenting, not least in response to any shift in tactics by the gangs.

“The use of larger boats, with over a hundred people crammed on board, is a clear cause for concern, and we remain alert to the potential for crossings on less frequently targeted stretches of water off our coastline.”

Government figures published during the summer said more than 48,000 attempted crossings had been prevented through joint work with French authorities since the 2024 general election. Official figures also recorded more than 80,000 returns from the UK between 1 July 2024 and 31 July 2026, including both enforced and voluntary returns.

The Home Office has said small boat numbers have fallen compared with last year, although figures remain provisional and are regularly updated.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is continuing to appeal for information about the disorder.

Anyone who can identify people shown in the police appeal, or who has information that could assist the investigation, is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference 44260435943.

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